The observatory was set up in 1980. It involves ringing,'vis mig' counts (including seabirds) and general monitoring in the Heysham Nature reserve/power stations/harbour area. The statutory moth trap is in place and also a daily log for butterflies, dragonflies etc.
We share an office, kindly provided by EDF Energy, with the County Wildlife Trust. This is located next to the Nature Reserve car park. Do call in. Please leave sightings in the letterbox, ESPECIALLY 'fly-by' seabirds.

Saturday, 10 July 2010

Go away, see you next spring

Heysham ObsRed Nab/Ocean Edge incoming tideMed Gull - 3 adults: Mobile pair with the noticeably smaller female following the male, which immediately flew as soon as she approached and eventually headed off high to the south into the drizzle with the female trailing some distance behind. Another adult losing its summer plumage on the head roosted on Red NabCommon Sandpiper - one heardMallard - two female/imms Red Nab (unusual!)

Moths
A very poor catch included a Plain Golden Y (surprisingly rare here!) and one of the occasional visits from the fairly common saltmarsh 'grass moth' Pediasia aridella

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Heysham Tides

2017 year list

Highlighted so far by a Bittern on the 'no swimming' pond, Middleton NR and a long-staying Iceland Gull...........plus the second record of Great White Egret. Latest stuff includes some decent odds and ends on seawatches, notably a pair of Garganey, a White-winged Black Tern for one fortunate observer, three Puffin, a Cuckoo (!), more Iceland Gulls, a record heap of Black Tern and Ospreys and Marsh Harriers. However, the scarcer species kept repeating themselves when one or two different things might have been welcome eg a Glaucous Gull! Autumnal sightings so far were rather mundane apart from record numbers of Med Gulls until a very welcome blow had JUST enough westerly in the wind (and short bouts of SW) to produce a very welcome array of seabirds, led, as usual, by Leach's Petrel. At least one Sabine's Gull was seen, but only 'behaved' inshore for a small number of late afternoon observers, a Grey Phalarope was present at the seaward end of Heysham 2 outfall for at least 10 minutes but the star of the show was perhaps a summer plumaged Black Guillemot. A shame the better birds were not cooperative and available to all but the name of the game seemed to be rapid transit rather than off-passage tired storm driven waifs. In this respect, even the Kittiwakes had gone as soon as the wind veered north.

2016 HEYSHAM OBS REPORT AVAILABLE

Patchwork Challenge area

See text for April 19th and relate to map at bottom of page

Access details

Newcomers to this area: Please visit the map at the base of this page and print it off, along with the following access instructions. It is very easy to take wrong turnings here, especially when accessing the coastal areas, and alerting the various security staff around the harbour/power stationsAnyone birdwatching and photographing in the harbour area is likely to attract the attention of the harbour police (and you will be on a security camera at all times). You will be expected to provide details on request and any refusal could jeopardise future access.

North Harbour WallPlease note that pedestrian access to the harbour mouth, beyond the 'red gate' is NOT possible. However you can 'scope for any sea passage here, similarly check the low tide channels for wildfowl and gulls and also 'scope the gulls on Fisher's roof across the harbour. On 'busy' days at high tide, please avoid parking alongside the seawall as this restricts the room available to anglers. Thanks.

South harbour area/Power Station outfallsThe old "Gate 38 (39 on the map)" to the west quay of the harbour is now lockedand therefore the'harbour waterfall' can only be viewed from the end of the north harbour wall. You need to use the traditional walk from the tall mast/nature park/seawall. Park by the tall mast about 120 metres before the entrance to Ocean Edge and take the path to the shore via the Nature Park. Alternatively park in Heysham Nature reserve and access via the Landscape Strip/dog-walk track, then through the Nature Park

Please do not enter Ocean Edge caravan park without calling in at reception. If anything turns up along the shore at the southern end of Ocean Edge properties, you can access this along the shoreline from Red Nab, not by walking through the caravan site. Thanks

Middleton NR

Take the Middleton/Overton road from the roundabout at the end of the by pass for about 1.5km, then turn right and park by the 'model boat pond' at SD418591. We recommend that all access here is limited to the concrete roads and formal footpaths as there are serious hazards e.g. a narrow 3 metre-deep hole was recently located, covered by a thin layer of grass, during reserve management work. The perils of brownfield sites!

Contacts for Heysham Nature Reserve & Bird Observatory

REUBEN NEVILLE: Any enquiries relating to Heysham Nature Reserve or Heysham Moss e.g. help with working parties or organising a visit. You can also phone/text 07979652138, the Nature reserve office landline 01524 855030 or e-mail rneville@lancswt.org.uk during normal working hours.

STEVE RYDER: Please contact Steve on Middleton NR issues or if Reuben is not available on 07717366817 or01524 855030

EMMA GARSTON: Please contact Emma re-any events being organised by the Wildlife Trust, including those in partnership with other organisations.egarston@lancswt.org.ukor01524 855030

ALAN DRAPER: Please contact Alan if you are interested in observing, helping with or indeed wish to become a ringer. Observers/helpers are very welcome; there is absolutely no 'obligation' to train to be a ringer - we appreciate many people are not able to commit themselves to this time-consuming process. Please phone/text 07929899834or e-mail alanxhill@btinternet.com

PETE MARSH: Please e-mail or text Pete with any interesting sightings from the Heysham area (or post them to the LDBWS site). Also please contact Pete with any general enquiries concerning the observatory. Text/phone = 07532433043 or e-mail PMrsh123@aol.com

JEAN ROBERTS: ....... is the BTO WeBS coordinator for Morecambe Bay South. It would be useful to 'cc' Jean if you are contacting Pete Marsh re-the observatory/any sightings. Text/phone = 07815979856or e-mailjeanrbrts6@aol.com

Please note that two of the team (Pete Marsh and Jean Roberts) are full time ornithological consultants. Contact details above.

Heysham-ringed Twite at Machrihanish, Mull of Kintyre

Heysham Twite Colour Scheme

Twite Information & Request for Sighting Reports

There have been no sightings from our Twite colour ringing over the last two seasons, using numeric engraved rings, in which the engraved numbers could be determined. Feedback from local birders has been that it has been frustrating trying to read these numeric engravings and they have largely given up trying. I have therefore applied to BTO to revise my colour scheme.

The Right Leg combination of Pale Blue (Site identification colour) above BTO Metal is to be retained.

The Left Leg combination will now consist of two single colour rings, providing individual identification, from a stock of twelve colours. (The Right Leg combination may be reversed i.e. Metal above Pale Blue, should we exhaust the left leg colour combinations).

Twite are a tricky species to check for colour rings with their short legs often concealed. For any sightings of coastal Lancashire flocks, please try and concentrate on a quick check of ringed/unringed ratios. There may be plenty of Twite with Pale Blue site rings around between Knott End and Heysham, but also birds wearing other site colours e.g. YELLOW that is the site colour for birds ringed at Askam in Furness.

All records are important so please send any sightings to Alan (see contacts above). Thanks very much.

Grey Wagtail the first of three seen at Seaforth Nature Reserve (Steve Young)

Grey Wagtail Skokholm October 2013 (Richard Brown)

Grey Wagtail Worsley, Greater Manchester March 2015 (Ann Ord Sykes)

Grey Wagtail remaining at Middleton for 2014/5 winter (Janet Packham)

Grey Wagtail colour rings

Colours not illustrated = a 'barbie doll' pink first used in 2014 as well as DARK green and DARK blue!

A colour-ringing programme has been commenced to try and elicit some information on destination, passage routes and origin of the large number of Grey Wagtail passing through north Lancashire in autumn.

Up to 162 per autumn have been ringed since 2008 with relatively low numbers in 2011/12, probably a combination of prolonged hard winter weather and (2012) very wet breeding season and flooding.

Passage birds have been seen at Seaforth Nature Reserve (64km south) on three occasions, the 2013 bird lingering for a short time, Derbyshire, several in Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Skokholm. Presumed wintering birds have been seen in Wiltshire, Connah's Quay (Flint), Worsley (Greater Manchester), Warton Bank (Ribble), nr Bamber Bridge (Lancs) and two in Staffordshire. On at least five occasions ringed birds have remained in the Heysham area for the winter and in autumn/winter 2013/14, a surprising 3 individuals remained on the nearby Lune Estuary during at least the first part of the winter. An additional bird was seen at a roost in Lancaster in January 2014 and autumn 2014 saw a sighting at Sunderland over a month after ringing 3.7km to the north. Breeding season registrations so far - from Sedgwick, Levens, Killington and Torver (Cumbria), Carnwath and Melrose (Borders).The 2016 and some of the 2017 birds are marked with PINK over BTO metal or metal over PINK on the left leg but we have just started on the next left leg sequence which is ORANGE over BTO metal or BTO metal over ORANGE. Some earlier ones with red (likely) and white or pale blue (less likely) over metal on the left leg may still be alive. Various combinations of two colours on the right leg render each bird individually identifiable providing the left leg combination (e.g. whether the red is above or under the metal) is also seen. However, please do send in any part-reads of a single leg as your information is still very valuable and a right leg observation may still be individually identifiable